Hello!
It has been an awesome few months since the Beta Launch. Our blog writer, Bad Parrot, was on vacation the last week of August, so this blog is a tad bit later than usual. But fear not! It is packed with a lot of new exciting updates! Before we begin, here is a word from our Lead Developer.....
[h2]Words from the Lead Developer[/h2]
Hello everyone,
Our Beta has been out now for a little over a month and we are humbled by all the positive feedback we are getting. Thank you. In the last 6 weeks since the Beta release, we have pushed out 10 patches to address various bugs, exploits, and introduce various quality of life improvements. In the last 2 weeks I have been working on the upcoming
August/September September content update (mainly the AI behavior) to get that ready for release. The update will introduce a new scent system where players can see a visual indicator of scent helping them find food and water and blood. The update will also introduce the Spined Scrab AI (class 1) with our first iteration of AI combat. The current Thornback does not fight, he just runs away, but the Scrab will be programmed to fight you if you're small and run if you're large, though it will be much slower than a Thornback and easier for hatchlings to catch. I'm also working to improve the AI spawning system which will affect all AI creatures now and in the future.
Speaking of Future AI creatures, we just recently revealed the Cave Cutter AI, a class 4 cave-dweller making its home in the frozen ice caves of the Winter Winds. Click the image above for a closer look at this "cool" creature.
In the next few paragraphs, I want to touch on some of the cool things that have happened or are happening in development starting with the Crimson Shimmer.
The new Crimson Shimmer skin is in the development build and coming in the September version 1.K update. Crimson Shimmer is a Patreon Lifetime Subscriber reward given to any Patreon who has pledged $100 or more during the lifetime of their subscription. Patreon Shimmer is something we announced many months ago when we first announced Shimmer skins for Kickstarter backers and Patreons, but we hadn't decided exactly how we wanted to implement it into Patreon until recently. Lifetime Subscriber Rewards are a way for us to reward our patrons who have supported us for many months and is on par with what Kickstarters pledged for the White Dragon Skins. Check the video out below for a preview of the new Crimson Shimmer skin.
[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlYxOI83xdE[/previewyoutube]
In the future, we plan to offer more Lifetime Subscriber Rewards for our active Patrons such as cosmetic fx and possibly merchandise. If you're interested in supporting us through Patreon, check out the link at the end of this blog and thank you so much for supporting our dream!
Another thing I want to touch on is new hires. We have been on the hunt for more animators as we have a growing number of game-ready models waiting for animations. In the past 3 months we have processed over 100 animator applications and have done several interviews. One of the animators we hired, George, was tasked with the Whiskered Paddletail and Swamp Snapper, although George won't be able to stay with us for long, we were only able to hire him for a limited window between contracts. We'll continue to update you all with news concerning our growing development team in future announcements.
Quests are coming, and they're going to be cool, but I don't think they'll make it in the September content update. Quests will provide ways for players to get those 3 other mutation points and also acquire equippable items like Dragon Pearls, though some of that will need to wait until the inventory system is in. Pearls will provide combat bonuses or cosmetic fx such as Jelly Flies (the mechanic of which btw is already in this dev build). Flicker is already working on Ambient AI, some of which you can collect as a spawnable effect through quests.
OK now for some random thoughts...
The Ice Behemoth Concept is mostly finished, we're still working out the details of his horns but we're not rushing it. Work is being done to improve projectiles as I'm well aware of the desync that happens sometimes where it looks like you hit but the server didn't register it. Plasma charge attack is also coming, though I might wait until the Flame Stalker is in for balance reasons. Elder mushroom spawns will be re-worked. More skin patterns will be coming in future updates. You might start seeing devs spawn in as Flame Stalkers soon but the animation set is not finished, but a lot of the movement is. Fish AI might make it in before the Singe Crest update as another food source. Update 1.K will include a new edible mushroom type. A new Forgotten Forest map is planned, but will most likely come post Genesis. Magma will most likely be in before the Flame Stalker, though we might wait until the Flame Stalker, but we might not. It might take a while before anyone figures out how to unlock it - that is if anyone who unlocks it will ever know how they unlocked it. ːsteammockingː
That's it from me for now, thank you for playing our game, we have so much more planned and coming in future updates and we can't wait to share it with you!
- Jonathan Slabaugh
Lead Developer for Day of Dragons
[h2]Scent System[/h2]
Scent TrailsIn the upcoming September update, your dragons will be seeing the work in a whole new way..... with their nose! The scent system is one of the new features coming with this next big update.
Dragons will be able to smell and reveal hidden whimsical trails that can lead them to food (green) and water (blue) sources. Certain creatures will also leave scent trails, such as AI (yellow) and bleeding Dragons (red). The source of the scent will release a puff of colored smoke when players are close.
Scent Source IndicatorsEach dragon will have its own scent animation that they use to detect the world. Check out the Acid Spitter and Shadow Scale's created by Karly.
Acid Spitter Scent Animation
Shadow Scale Scent Animation[h2]Animations[/h2]
Our lovely team of animators have been hard at work bringing our creatures to life. Check out what they have been working since the last dev blog...
[h3]Magma Elemental[/h3]
The Magma Elemental has been full animated and will likely be the next playable creature added to the game. Players will have to learn the secrets to unlock this beast. Check out this video of his haunting calls.
[previewyoutube]VIDEO[/previewyoutube]
[h3]Flame Stalker[/h3]
The Flame Stalker animations are still being created. Here are some of his latest ones.
Flame Stalker Sit Animation
Flame Stalker Stalk Animation[h3]Whiskered Paddletail[/h3]
The Elemental isn't the only creature finished this month! The Whiskered Paddletail has had all of its animations finished thanks to George, a temporary animator we hired between contracts! George is only with us until early November so we are having him work on AI creatures such as the fish and the Swamp Snapper. Check out the fish animations:
Whiskered Paddletail Idle Animation
Whiskered Paddletail Swimming Animation
Whiskered Paddletail Struggle/Carried Animation[h2]VFX[/h2]
Our VFX artist, Flicker, has been hard at work on her projects. Check out just some of the stuff she has worked on since the Beta launch!
[h3]Ambient Creatures[/h3]
The world of Jrakhon is going to have a little more life in it soon. Flicker has been creating ambient AI particles which can be found floating throughout the world such as the fireflies and sky jellies or around objects of interest like the corpse flies. Some may even enjoy the company of your dragon...
Purple Sky Jelly
Fireflies
Corpse Flies[h3]Corpse Death Effects[/h3]
Corpses will show you how much food is remaining with this new Death Effect. As you eat the corpse, parts begin to fade away. Once you have eaten 50%, the corpse will turn into a carcass.
Acid Spitter Corpse Death Effect[h2]Models[/h2]
Some of you may have already seen our new AI concept revealed earlier this month. If you haven't, check it out
here. The Cave Cutter was just one of the projects our modeling team has been working on. Have a look at what else they have been up to.
[h3]Carcasses[/h3]
As started above, once half of a corpse is eaten it will be converted into a carcass. Unlike corpses, carcass can no longer be carried by any size dragon and will decay much slower.
[h3]Rigging[/h3]
With our temporary animator focusing on the AI, that means its time for more rigging. Karly has been working on rigging and weight painting some of the AI creatures including the Swamp Snapper. Check out what she has done so far....
Swamp Snapper WIP RIgIt's been a very busy few months. All of our departments are working full speed to continue to bring this awesome game to life. Now, check out the spotlights from our community!
[h2]Dev Q&A Livestream[/h2]
Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!
[h2]From the Community[/h2]
Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our
discord!
[h3]Some of our favorite recent screenshots...[/h3]
by Melon#6370
by Nevermore#9384
by DecoDemon#3051[h3]Some of our favorite artwork from the community...[/h3]
by Shika#4449
by Oka/Karta#7648
by Puco#0733As always, thanks for reading!
~The Day of Dragons Development TeamDon't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a
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